I got a new betta today at Pet Supplies Plus and their bettas were free! I was so shocked. The grand opening was yesterday and the bettas were given to them as a gift. My poor betta Sparky died last night. I got a Red VT betta. He is really cool and active and he flares at the filter in my tank and at nothing when I have the tank light on. I added some chemicals that Add Beneficial Bacteria to the tank. His fins look a little clamped probably because of when he was in his tiny cup. When he swims by the filter, it looks like he struggles to get away and when he does it, he flares. Is this normal? Is the current too strong? Also, I feed him Betta Pellets and he spit it out 30 minutes after I feed it to him. He has been through a lot since I feed him. Why could he be spitting it out?

Sometimes when you first get them they could take up to a week before they're comfortable enough to eat. So don't worry about that, just keep offering him the food and when he doesn't eat it, just scoop it out of the tank so it doesn't dirty the tank more. The current could be a little bit too strong, I don't think they like a lot of current. Can you control it?

Sometimes when you first get them they could take up to a week before they're comfortable enough to eat. So don't worry about that, just keep offering him the food and when he doesn't eat it, just scoop it out of the tank so it doesn't dirty the tank more. The current could be a little bit too strong, I don't think they like a lot of current. Can you control it?

Thanks and no, I can't control the current. He keeps swimming by it and flaring at it. It just seems so weird that he spit out the pellet 30 minutes after I feed him the pellet

As for the strong current pushing him around, there are things you can do to control it. For example, you could make a filter baffle (there's a nice guide here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=30139 ), or you could try covering the intake with a sponge to help slow things down as well.
Best of luck with your fishy!

As for the strong current pushing him around, there are things you can do to control it. For example, you could make a filter baffle (there's a nice guide here: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=30139 ), or you could try covering the intake with a sponge to help slow things down as well.
Best of luck with your fishy!